Sound technical content, curated with aloha by
Ted Mooney, P.E. RET
Pine Beach, NJ
The authoritative public forum
for Metal Finishing since 1989
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Experimenting with Steel Patinas
Q. About 6 months ago I acquired a plasma cutter and absolutely love designing and cutting out various items in steel. Just recently I've started to experiment with steel patinas and I'm looking for some advice on the subject. Just as a note I'm working with 12-14 gauge sheet metal. When I first started playing around with finishes, I started by spraying the metal with good ol H2O or placing it out in the rain. I then got brave and experimented with some vinegar
⇦in bulk on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links] and other easily accessible liquids ( muriatic acid
⇦this on
eBay or
Amazon [affil links] ....not recommended!) Recently I've gotten a little more serious and have purchased a sand blaster to prep the metal along with copper nitrate
⇦this on
eBay
or
Amazon [affil links]
, ferric nitrate, various waxes (Beeswax, clear paste wax for bowling alley), various acrylic sprays, presto black
⇦this on
Amazon [affil links]
for base, etc. So I think I'm on the right track but I'm not exactly sure what combinations will work the best. I know I need to sand blast the pieces before applying any patinas and while applying the patinas I should heat the metal up. I'm not too sure when I need to apply the wax (not sure what wax work best either) and when to apply the acrylic finish. Do I need to buff the wax out? I'm looking to design and patina large pieces of art and will either be kept inside or possibly outside without further rusting or changing too much in appearance from my original finish. Also, I'm also interested in some other chemicals or methods for outstanding finishes to the steel.
Thank you in advance for your help.
Sincerely,
Bobby
hobbyist - Sherburne, New York, United States
2006
Q. I have the same questions as Bobby. I am currently creating a metal sculpture that will always be outdoors and am searching for a Clear Gloss coating to protect it form all the elements. I am also looking for different ways to put color into mild steel, cold rolled steel, and stainless steel. Can you help me?
Victor Tomor- Vancouver, Washington, USA
2006
Ed. note: For the clear coat you might look at our supporting advertiser Everbrite [a finishing.com supporting advertiser]. Nevertheless, it's difficult to keep steel from rusting in the long term in outdoor exposure.
A. Try heating your surface with a torch, then apply motor oil. This should achieve a black spotty patina to your steel. Careful for flash fires and be sure to wear an adequate activated carbon ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] due to the heavy smoke. Good luck
Jonathan Farber- Reno, Nevada, USA
2006
A. My dear sculpture friends. It is practically impossible to make steel totally stable. It is a vulnerable metal, there is no way to protect it forever BUT one can make an effort that will be useful for quite some time. First spray the piece with muriatic acid, wait for 20 min. and clean it well with thinner. Later spray it with tannic that is a product that protects steel from rusting (you could mix it with water 1-10, you would have better results). And do not put boston wax or any wax in the market, it is not necessary. This way you would have a natural rusty finishing that is very stable and natural. This is the closest to Corten I have found!
Rafael RangelSculptor - NY, New York
2006
A. I currently use Ferric Nitrate, copper nitrate ⇦this on eBay or Amazon [affil links] , and a gun blue solution an all of my sculptures. Using different temperatures upon application gives me the results the clients and I are desiring. After neutralizing all patinas with a basic baking soda [in bulk on eBay or Amazon [affil links] /water mixture, I coat all indoor pieces with a generic floor wax and all outdoor pieces with a clear coat called Permalac [adv: Permalac on eBay]. It has a exterior life of ten years if the metal is treated properly before application. I personally cannot attest to this but I can say that I and the client are both happy so far with a piece coated about three years ago.
Jason Bream- Visalia, California, USA
2007
2007
A. Great source for patina of bronze and steel. Explains how David Smith prepared his outdoors pieces. Many diagrams, etc.
Methods for Modern Sculptors
[onAmazonaffil links]
by Donald D. Young and Robert A. Fennell
ISBN 0-9603744-0-X
I have 11th printing from 1989
Published by:
Sculpt-Nouveau
San Rafael, CA
- Virginia Beach, Virginia
Q. I am a metal sculptor and would like to know the best sandblasting medium to remove the dross/slag left after cutting. Can anyone suggest a product?
donald Emeryartist - CT
July 25, 2008
Q. Hi there,
I am looking for information on how to achieve a specific type of finish on mild steel sculptures, etc.. I am not exactly sure how to put a name to it. It is a fairly common finish. Sort of gives the steel the look of antique bronze. I think lacquer may be involved. I have attached an example photo. I think it may be some type of lacquer.
I appreciate any advise. And thank you for this site. It has helped me on more than one occasion.
Sincerely,
Hobbyist - Hampton Falls, New Hampshire
December 18, 2012
A. The patina on the last looks like boiled linseed oil, based on what I saw my instructor do in class today!
Kristel Knittel- Oakland
February 25, 2013
Q. I just had a custom smoke guard made for my fireplace out of steel and plan to try to create a patina finish on the steel. I've found lots of info on how to patina steel but I'm concerned with how to arrest the patina and seal it in a manner that is fire safe. Can I use an oil, wax or lacquer finish adjacent to the opening of my fireplace or do I need to find some sort of high-temp coating? Any ideas? This is my first attempt at something like this.
Thanks
- Fairfax, Virginia, USA
October 3, 2013
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